Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Trip to Ciudad del Este ~ Part One

Where do I begin?

We traveled to CdE on Saturday morning and as always we felt compelled to stop along the way at certain important landmarks. All of which involve food. I will allow you to draw your own conclusions about that!

So, I felt like a Hobbit! We had our First Breakfast in Luque where we bought croissants filled with dulce de leche. An hour later we stopped for our Second Breakfast at a small restaurant which was began by a Canadian couple. We have to stop, because, well, they sell Pecan pies, Apple pies, and chocolate brownies! It would be a traitorous act to North America to not stop!

Another hour down the road, we have our Elevensies, and we once again slow down, this time for the chiperia girls to rush over to the car with their baskets of chipa bread on their heads. It would be traitorous to Paraguay to not stop and buy the hot, fresh chipa!

And then we continue until we stop for Luncheon at Lactolanda. Lactolanda is one of two places in the country which sells soft serve ice cream! It is owned and operated by Mennonites. I especially like to stop there as I know they have clean restrooms, something one can not take for granted on road trips. It would be traitorous to.... ummmm... my German grandfather if we did not stop and purchase ice cream from the Mennonites!

Thank goodness, an hour later we arrived in CdE and could stop eating!

Until later that evening, when we ate at a Brazilian churasqueria. The place was owned and operated by a Brazilian family and all the waiters spoke Portuguese. All the other customers were Chinese, except for us. We may have been the only ones speaking Spanish in a restaurant in a major city of Paraguay! But no matter, we were all interested in the food and the television where Paraguay was playing soccer against Venezuela, in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela near where we once lived. Paraguay won!

Just when I thought we were done with all the food, there was a knock on the hotel door. I opened it to find a couple of Paraguayans speaking to each other in Guarani, but they were offering me chocolate...I understood that well enough!

20 comments:

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Haha! That sounds like India, where the food is so good that I want to stop every time I see some. Yum!!! And of course, to drink Coca-cola! :0)

redneck preacher said...

I gained weight reading your blog. Did you jog home?

HTOITA

Anonymous said...

I wanna go with you !!! I like your route of travel.. Fits me very well... @ 280#'s you know that I LOVE FOOD.. Sounds like fun, can wait for the "Rest of the Story" and the fun places comming home.. Don

~*♥Verja♥*~ said...

And if we didn't accept the chocolate?
Well, we'd be traitorous to the female kind!

Betty W said...

hahaha, sounds like a perfect trip so far to me! :) You are good patriots to the many country´s you have ties to.

Rita Loca said...

Kristen, And the Coke overseas is better!

Rita Loca said...

Anonymous, I am sure we would make good travel companions then!

Rita Loca said...

Verja, Ah yes. loyalty to the females!

Rita Loca said...

Betty, it is hard job but I do try!

Findalis said...

And did you gain the pre-requisite 20 pounds?

Sounds like fun!

ABNPOPPA said...

And I thought I ate a lot and some strange food this weekend at Fort Bragg. Sounds good though.

Roger on the other stuff about Z

Pops

Kathy said...

What fun!!! We rode the "red eye" bus when we went that way so missed out on all the fun stops! Now I have something to look forward to the next time I go that way!!! Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

Brenda said...

I can picture the trip as you describe it with all the yummy places to stop and eat.

Which churasqueria did you go to in Cde?

Have you tried the Casita de Mani?

Enjoy your Brazilian "contraband" ;)

Always On Watch said...

JM,
Your own version of The Canterbury Tales?

Rita Loca said...

Findalis, at least!

Rita Loca said...

ABNNPOPPA, Thanks!

Rita Loca said...

Kathy, I will try an post more today.

Rita Loca said...

Brenda! No more food stops!!! Please!!!

Rita Loca said...

AOW, HA, I guess it is!

MathewK said...

Sounds like some one's going on a diet real soon.